Red Deer Rebels took on the Regina Pats Tuesday night.
Ben King opened up the scoring as fans were still taking their seats just 1 minute and 10 seconds into the game. Assists on the goal to Frantisek Formanek and Kai Uchacz. Then a little over a minute later while the Rebels were on the Power Play, Pats d-man Tanner Brown scored a nice backhand goal on goaltender Kelton Pyne. Problem is Pyne is the Pats goalie. It was a bunked clearing attempt that backfired and got Kai Uchacz his 39th goal of the season. Uchacz is so good he doesn’t have to find the goals. The goals find him.
I was impressed with Regina even when they were down by 2. Connor Bedard is a great player no question about that, but the rest of the Pats team is also quite impressive. The Pats scored 5 minutes in to make it a 2-1 game (Lots of scoring at the start). Borya Valis an 18 year old from Denver, Colorado scored his 16th goal of the season assisted by Tanner Howe and Alexander Suzdalev on the Power Play. Borya? Kind of a cool name really sounds more like a pro skateboarder or heavy metal band guy, I went to school with an exchange student with that name, he was from one of them Eastern European countries that doesn’t exist anymore.
Rebels responded again to make it 3-1 just 3 minutes later when Craig Armstrong buried a Jayden Grubbe rebound. At 13:39 of the first period Bedard got a breakaway and scored his league leading 43rd goal of the season. Assist on the goal to Tanner Howe. That ended the first period at 3-2 Rebels. Just 1:27 into the second period while on the Power Play Regina scored again. Alexander Suzdalev with his 25th of the season from Connor Bedard and Tanner Howe. Now even though it got the Rebels a penalty and cost them a goal, it was worth it to watch Kai Uchacz piss off Bedard. I don’t know if he face washed him or what but it was a funny penalty.
The Rebels went out and got that one back when Jayden Grubbe scored his 14th of the season from Hunter Mayo and Mats Lindgren. But then 20 seconds after the Rebels took the lead the Pats came back to tie it up when Sam Oremba scored a weak backhand that Rebels goalie Rhett Stoesser wishes he could have back. Pats then took the lead at 9:50 of the second period when Borya Valis picked up Connor Bedard’s rebound to get his 17th goal of the season. Stoesser came up with a huge save on Sam Oremba break away shortly after the Pats 5th goal. Ben King tied it up with 6:50 remaining in the third. The goal was strange. It went in and out so fast that most of the fans and even players didn’t realize that it went in.
Sportsnet was raving about Bedard this morning and showed highlights of the game. Which is nice he is a great player. To show a segment of highlights of him at the game and ONLY him would make an outsider think that he is the WHOLE Regina team. Which is further from the truth. The score still would of been 6-5 if he was playing or not. So what? You go and shadow an eliminate Bedard? You still have to deal with Howe, Suzdalev, Valis, Oremba, ect the list can go on. Shame on you Sportsnet, we all know you follow an agenda🤡🤪🤪
This game went to overtime. At 2:16 of overtime Jhett Larson scored from Hunter Mayo and Jace Isley. Thats Larson’s 12th goal of the season.
Other Notes
The Rebels are now on a road swing down to the US for 5 games. Their next home game is February 17th against the Kamloops Blazers.
Attendance was 7,287.
The 50/50 draw was $50,935.
Regina Pats forward Tanner Howe recorded a career-high four assists
The Rebels are now 2-1 against the Regina Pats this season.
Rhett Stoesser made 17 saves on 22 shots in the win.
Also have to hand it to the Rebels for finally putting the team rosters on the back of the game sheets. Note they should do that for the visiting team also.